


Together

by AbsolutelyGarbage



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst and Fluff, F/M, Maruani Week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2014-08-10
Packaged: 2018-02-12 15:24:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2114991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbsolutelyGarbage/pseuds/AbsolutelyGarbage
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They would face this challenge like every other;together</p>
            </blockquote>





	Together

**Author's Note:**

> For the first day of Maruani week;shifter  
> AU where Marco is a shifter too  
> I apologize ahead of time for the ending

**Year 843:Titan Shifter Village**

Annie tugs down the sleeves of her sweatshirt to cover her hands, even inside she feels the chill of the winter air. It was often a source of confusion for the others since most shifters were warmer than humans but Annie always felt a little bit chilled.

Some joked it was due to her personality. They usually ended up on their asses.

There was a small rapping at the window and she turned around to see freckles and a gap-toothed smile. Marco pointed towards the direction of the door, inviting her outside, the blood on his hand evaporated slowly.

Annie glanced at her father who was passed out at the table, he hadn’t noticed any of the commotion. Wrapping a scarf around herself she headed outside into the day old snow fall which Marco is crunching through happily.

“What happened to your face?” she asked gruffly even though Marco’s tooth had grown back now, the bruises gone from his eye and the wilt on his cheek having not left a trace. Marco looked up from the pile of snow he was kicking around. She wondered how he could stand being out in just a long sleeved shirt.

“My tooth hasn’t grown back?” he questioned, running his tongue over his teeth for confirmation and grinning when he finds all of them were they should be.

“Let’s go sledding, Annie” Marco says, enthusiastically grabbing his blonde friend’s hand and leading her to the nearest hill.

“You didn’t answer my question” Annie says but follows him none the less. She can’t believe he drug her out here for sledding. Though she supposed it wasn’t that surprising given who she was talking to.

“Oh, uh, I just got into a little fight” Marco says, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Protecting his weak spot and a sure sign he was lying. Not that she wouldn’t be able to tell anyway. Marco didn’t get into fights.

“You shouldn’t let those kids push you around” she points out idly as they approach the top of the hill. Marco just shrugs.

“It’s not a problem really, I heal pretty fast” Marco waves off her concern. “Now hurry up or else all the good spots will be taken!”

**Year 844 Titan Village Town Hall**

“…And thus the first venture to the walls was a failure. Berrik was eaten and the other two were forced to retreat” The council man concluded putting down the paper he’d been reading from, milky eyes darting around the room.

“It seems the titans are just as attracted to us in small numbers as they are to humans” Another stated, contemplative.

“Then how are we to carry on our mission?” A third council man wondered.

“We need one who can control the titans, as well as another one who can lead them” The first reached their conclusion.

It was decided then: Bertholdt Hoover would break the outer wall, Reiner Braun would break the inner, Annie Leonhardt would lead the titans to the breach, and Marco Bodt would keep the other shifters safe from harm.

“Meeting adjourned”

**Year 845 Outside Wall Maria**

“Hurry up Annie!” Marco said, dragging her along her hand. Bertholdt and Reiner were ahead of them, simply faster runners.

Today was the day, the day they broke down the walls of humanity. The day they finished their extinction. Something twisted in Annie’s gut, fear and guilt.

“We’ll be ok” he gives her hand a re-assuring squeeze and smiles a tight, nervous, smile. His hand reaches for the back of his neck but freezes. Annie notices and contemplates saying something.

“Come on, we’ll become separated from the others” Marco insisted, picking up the pace and closing the distance between them and the other two a bit.

Bertholdt, who was in the lead, stopped mid-stride causing the other three to stop as well. A titan peeked from nearby trees. Make that three.

“Marco-“ Reiner started.

“I’ve got it, you go ahead” He nodded running far enough from them to shift safely.

“Come on Annie, we need to go” Reiner tugged her away from were Marco was. She didn’t protest but glanced back one last time. Just in time to see Marco transform,

**Year 847 Military Training Ground**

Kitchen duty was always preferable to dish duty, or other clean up duties, to Annie. So when she drew dishes as her chore for the third time that week, Marco switched her. For the third time that week.

"You sure it’s fair to let your boyfriend to constantly do your work for you, Annie?" Reiner asked as he chopped vegetables next to were she was stirring. She knew it was part joke, part cover. If it seemed like Marco had a crush on her it drew suspicion away from the fact that, despite having clashing personalities, they were very close despite having known each other for only a few months.At least, according to their cover story. Reiner and Bertholdt pretended to be from the same town to cover their closeness, but that wasn’t likely to work twice.

It wasn’t like the freckled shifter had feelings for her, right?

She glanced over her shoulder to where Marco was washing dishes. He grinned and waved at her. Jean looked at him confused and she immediately turned, glowering at the boiling soup. She heard Jean make a comment somewhere along the lines of ‘Leonhardt, really?’ but didn’t care to listen to the excuse that came in response.

**Year 850 Military Training Grounds night before graduation**

The night air was stifling as the four shifters crouched over a map of Trost district, going over their plans one last time. Annie watched the shadows from the lamplight dance across Marco’s downcast expression. Tomorrow they would break down the walls, tomorrow they would kill all the friends they made over the last three years.

She couldn’t say her chest didn’t tighten thinking about them, Mina in particular had always been sweet to her. But she had already accepted this fate as a child.Marco should not have gotten close to these people. Reiner had been almost as bad but he was able to separate himself from the persona he had created, Marco had started to believe it. That he was a soldier.

Comforts were never Annie’s specialty, she usually left that to her freckled ally. With his wide eyes and warm smile, he could cheer almost anyone up. That was probably the main reason he was so popular among the trainees. But this time, he was the one in need of comfort. As Reiner went over the plan for a third time, she scooted closer to Marco and rested a hand on his knee. 

"We’ll do this together"

**Year 850 Trost District**

The four of them stared in awe as Eren emerged from the carcass of the rogue titan that helped them escape the store room.

Things had changed.

They met, briefly, as soon as they could. One of them had to leave the walls to pass the news back to their village. Marco volunteered.

One look at his face told Annie that he couldn’t stand to see anyone else die. Still, she felt betrayed in a sense. Together, he had always said throughout these last three years, together he had said last night. And he was running away.

"Come with me" He asked in a hushed whisper. Annie shook her head. One leaving was bad enough, they needed numbers to pull this new plan off.

Marco gave her his gear before leaving her standing by the soldier’s corpse that was to pass for him.

Annie pretended she didn’t see him look back.

**Year 851 Survey Corps base, underground**

Being under attack by the Military Police, the Survey Corps didn’t have more than two soldiers to spare as guards. It wasn’t hard for Marco to cut them down without making a sound. Beyond this door was his captured comrade, friend, Annie.

He had heard she had been alone when she was captured. Alone. And it was his fault, for leaving. It didn’t matter now, because he would set her free and they would be together again.

The shifter pushed open the heavy oak doors imagining the snowy hills of their childhood, they would have that again someday.

What he was confronted with wasn’t crystallized water. Wasn’t chains or a jail cell.

"No" the word slipped out loud, not that it mattered. The guards couldn’t hear it now.

"No, Annie" he pressed a hand to the crystal "I’m here, Annie, wake up, please. We need to get out of here"

Marco Bodt was taken into custody five hours later, surrounded by broken blades.


End file.
